Maavadu and Thayir Saadam or Curd Rice is a very popular and trendy combo. You can get these baby mangoes early summer and during summer. There are zillion varieties of these baby mangoes. Each variety has a unique taste. Picking the right ones is always difficult. I love the ones that we get in our native. :-)

Maavadu (Tender/baby raw mangoes) – Just the word, takes me back to my childhood days in periyakulam. Periyakulam is known for its mangoes. There is even a board saying, “Welcome to periyakulam – mango city” and you can see it while coming from Theni. Not sure if it’s still there, but the point is it’s famous for maavadus and mangoes.

You get freshly picked maavadus(with big stems) daily during the season. A nearby town Chinnamanur which is 35 km away from PKM (Periyakulam) is also known for its maavadu. But both differ a lot in their taste. And every year I have heard my mom and our neighbors comparing their quality, price, and taste, etc. As I mentioned above, there are zillion maavadu varieties.

Cleaning the tender mangoes:

Let’s forget about the varieties. All I want is just the pickle. Let me first explain the process. First thing, wash the maavadu and remove the stems (Kaambu). You should not discard the stems completely, because the stems help the pickle stay good for months and months. Nowadays you can get maavadus with the cleaned stems.

Back in Periyakulam, when we get maavadu, during soaking and destemming process, the whole house smells of maavadu. I was born and brought up in a compartment style house (the agraharam ones), you can smell the mangoes in the thinnai, even if it’s being cleaned in kitchen, which is usually three compartments away close to the backyard.

This time, while I was in Chennai, I saw maavadu and asked amma to prepare the pickle for me. So here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Maavadu – 1 kg (measure after removing the stems)

Sea Salt (Kal Uppu) – 100gms

Mustard Seeds – 1 tbsp

Red Chilly Powder – 50gms

Turmeric Powder – 2 tsps

Gingelly Oil – 3 tbsps

Steps:

Wash the maavadu thoroughly and let it soak overnight in water.

Next day, drain the water and pat it dry.

The next step is applying gingelly oil so that the maavadus doesn’t turn black. Add the 3 tbsps of oil and mix them well.

Mix them well. Make sure all the maavadus are coated nicely with the salt-chilly mixture.

And that’s it. Store the maavadus in an airtight container. Make sure you shake them daily. In 3-5 days, you will start noticing the maavadus start oozing out water. It takes at least 3-4 weeks for the maavadus to become tender. More they soak, better they taste. The maavadu water taste equal to maavadus

Notes:

Mustard seeds act as a preservative.

You can add more gingelly oil too.

Instead of red chili powder, you can grind red chilies with salt and mustard seeds.

Do not remove the stems completely.

I don’t have the picture of maavadu soaked in the pickle water. Any my tale of woe is I couldn’t bring any back to the US. I did pack one bottle, but then I heard friends saying that during customs check they had to throw the maavadu. I can not do that. So with heavy heart, I had to leave them back :-(

There is a song that comes in Vaandu’s cartoon dragon tales – “I wish I wish I could fly high in the sky.”. I have to sing on similar terms as I wish I wish I could have some maavadus.

Maavadu - Tender Mango Pickle

Maavadu or Vadu Mangai is one the authentic and traditional pickle recipes from Tamil Nadu which is prepared with tender raw mangoes.

Mix them well. Make sure all the maavadus are coated nicely with the salt-chilly mixture.

And that's it. Store the maavadus in an airtight container. Make sure you shake them daily. In 3-5 days, you will start noticing the maavadus start oozing out water. It takes at least 3-4 weeks for the maavadus to become tender. More they soak, better they taste. The maavadu water taste equal to maavadus

Notes

Mustard seeds act as a preservative.

You can more gingelly oil too.

Instead of red chili powder, you can grind red chilies with salt and mustard seeds.